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Editorial: Keep CAB in the present

The wars our troops are fighting today, particularly in Iraq, are in many ways dramatically different from those fought in previous generations. They now face enemies who don’t wear uniforms and who kill indiscriminately, targeting soldiers and civilians, fellow countrymen and enemy combatants alike.

The battle lines are collapsed; soldiers serving as truck drivers and military police are as likely to see combat as infantrymen and cavalry troops. That’s what drove the Army to adopt today’s “every soldier a rifleman” mind-set.

It’s also why the Combat Action Badge was created — so noninfantry troops could be recognized with an award on par with the Combat Infantryman Badge. To date, the Army has awarded 55,318 CABs, and more are pinned on every day.

Now Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Fla., wants to give CABs to untold thousands more. She has introduced legislation that would make eligibility for the award retroactive to Dec. 7, 1941.

Nice gesture, bad idea.

The CAB was created in recognition of the dangers of fighting a new kind of war with a new kind of Army. Trying to apply its criteria retroactively for actions that could go back seven decades might make some old-timers feel good, but it would place an unreasonable administrative burden on a war-weary Army without any positive result.

Congress should leave the CAB alone.

DISCUSS: Should the CAB be retroactive to earlier wars?